Media Jam Issue #2

*----------------MEDIA JAM------------------------*
Free, controversial and interactive media commentary
*------------------------------------------------------*
Second Issue - Volume 1, Issue #2. August 2003
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Copyright 2003 Project Mayhem


IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Bling Bling by Buzz
2. Kobe Bryant - Trial by Media - compiled by Dave Blue
3. Zap's Media Rant - by Zap 25
3. Movie Review: Terminator 3 by Dave Blue
4. Interview with Sheldon Rampton - Daniel Campos
5. Scapegoat's Corner - From the Clubs - by DJ Scapegoat
6. CD Review: Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner - by Buzz
7. VJ's Corner - Zap 25 and Peter Rubin


INTRODUCTION:
---------------------

Welcome to Issue 2 of Media Jam. Anyone new to our publication might
benefit from knowing that Media Jam is a free monthly magazine dedicated
to discussing media and our relationship with it, bringing you the views
of fans, insiders and commentators alike.

Here's the essentials...

Subscriptions: Subscriptions are free, and all you need to do to get on
the list is send an e-mail to mediajam-subscribe RemoveThis @yahoogroups.com.
Thereafter, a new issue of the magazine will land in your inbox each
month.

People who want to subscribe by snail-mail and receive a hard copy
instead of an electronic version, write to: Media Jam. In the U.S., mail
to 708 Novelda Rd., Alhambra, CA 91108 USA. Or alternatively,
British and European readers can try: Ashtree Cottage, Downham, Nr.
Clitheroe, Lancs BB7 4BJ England.

Contributors: We are always looking for writers with something
interesting to say that fits the broad topic of media, and we want any
of you with articles or ideas to come forward and send them to us for
publication. You'll get paid exactly what we Editors are getting paid -
nothing - but the world will get to read your views and in contributing
you help to maintain the sort of interactive environment we want Media
Jam to represent. Letters of inquiry or writing samples can be sent to
either one of the editors; e-mail them to davezero RemoveThis @mindspring.com or to
contactbuzz RemoveThis @operamail.com

See here how the interactive model works in practice. A Brazilian dude
named Daniel sent in an interview he'd conducted with media/PR expert
Sheldon Rampton - and here it is in print in the next issue. So we live
by the standard of Cicero - we criticize by creation.

Snail-mail submissions can be sent to either address given above, under
subscriptions.

Reviews: Got a band with a demo CD? An independent movie you'd like
reviewed? Maybe you yourself have a review you could author on an
appropriate topic. In any case, if you'd like us to review something,
send it in.

Distribution: Besides sending a copy to everyone on the electronic
subscription list and the snail mail list, we're hoping that you the
readers can help us out a bit with distribution. While Media Jam
originates on the internet, it is designed not to be a
stare-at-the-monitor publication, but one to print out and read in hard
copy form. So print out your copy, and when you're done, pass it along
to someone else who might have interest. Additionally, we will be
announcing locations where hard copies of Media Jam can be picked up;

The first location where copies can be picked up locally is the club
DJ'ed by our friend Reverend Scapegoat, a Staff Writer who DJs a club
show every week - expect to be able to pick up copies there - see his
column for more details.

Incidentally, apologies to the readers - we promised an interview with
Chuck D of Public Enemy, and while Chuck has agreed to do one and has
received our questions, but didn't get his answers back in time for
print. Look for Chuck D: the Media Jam interview in Issue #3 due
September 1st.

One final note - and I don't really like having to say anything like
this, but considering the controversy generated by the article of
Rushkoff's we ran last issue - "The Facial", let me make one thing
perfectly clear. This is an adult publication. If you're reading I
assume you're either an adult or close enough to it not to be
traumatized. We are not a porn mag or heavy on "adult content" but we
ARE committed to a policy of no censorship, and things such as
profanity, violence, and sexual situations might appear in some of the
articles. So there's your Parents' Advisory warning. If you're under 18
or the type to be offended easily, maybe you should pass your copy to
the next guy you see.

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ALL THAT GLITTERS
The Effects of Bling and Thug Culture on Hip-Hop

by Buzz

There's a track on DJ Shadow's 'Entroducing...' album, 'Why Hip-Hop
Sucks in '96'. It's only short: a few bars of a sublime, chiming loop
before a voice intones, "it's the money." Not exactly a world exclusive,
but true nonetheless.

Thing is, true as it was in '96, it didn't stop being true in '97; it
didn'tstop being true in '98; nor did it in '99. And never did it stop.
It's still true - truer than ever, in fact, for we are now living in the
Age of Bling. Of course, you could argue that bling (in its various
guises) has always been a factor in mainstream hip-hop, something which,
itself, has always been about breaking out of a dead-end existence and
making your mark on the world. Which is great - that's a positive thing
for hip-hop to represent. What isn't so positive is the cult of money
that's devloped in this particular area of the music, to the extent
where money has become not just the point, but the subject matter, the
inspiration, the image, the whole shebang. Mainstream hip-hop is now,
literally, ABOUT money.

Rappers have become brands. Merchandise has become the name of the game,
with many artists having launched their own product ranges, like their
latest album is just another item in the spring catalogue. Nothing wrong
with someone making a little money, of course, but hip-hop has now
reached a plateau very much like the one on which the Nikes and
Coca-Colas of this world have been sitting for the past 20 years or so,
where profiteering has become the sole purpose of existence - where the
product takes second place to the brand, where the subject makes money
for the sake of making money and offers little more than tokens in
return.

But we're not here to discuss the politics of mainstream hip-hop's
obsession with money. This article is about hip-hop the music, and the
degrading effect that bling - and with it, the thug thing - has had on
the culture.

But first, a disclaimer: I'm not black. I'm not from the ghetto. I doubt
many die-hard hip-hoppers would consider me any more hip-hop than Will
Smith, if any. I'm a white middle-cass bloke from Bumfuck, England. I'm
not going to dig too deep into the culture that exists at the root of
the music, because that, frankly, would be patronising and offensive to
those that make up that culture. I'm writing entirely from the
perspective of a hip-hop lover who's grown very tired of all the fuss
and bluster he's seen at the more visible upper reaches of the genre -
ponces in fur coats bragging about the size of their diamonds and
slack-jawed goons airing personal vendettas on record. Like, SHUT UP.
You're boring me. I can hear this shit anywhere - I'm not going to pay
good money to hear it rapped over some weedy, anaemic funk.

A very clever man called Chuck D once said, "rap is the CNN of black
America". These days, it's more like 'Dallas' - some glossy, escapist
crap with nothing
to say for itself. Or nothing worth remembering, anyway. Now, I know I
promised not to start bleating about the ghetto or anything like that,
but if anyone with the relevant qualifications can tell me that they'd
accept P Diddy as a satisfactory spokesman, then they can come to
Bumfuck, England and pop a cap in my white ass.

Bling - as it stands, with its thug overtones - seems to have grown out
of gangsta rap. Almost everywhere you look in the mainstream, you're
faced by morons playing with the same pimp/hustler imagery: the fur
coats, the hats, canes and all that knackers. Positive? Chuck D and
friends also once rapped about the way Hollywood debased black culture
by restricting brown-skinned characters in their films to the roles of
"Butlers and maids/Slaves and ho's...I guess they figured you/to play
some jigaboo/On the plantation/What else can a nigga do?" ('Burn
Hollywood Burn'). Isn't hip-hop doing the very same thing right now? Yo,
kids - you too can be as successful as me. Be a motherfuckin' hustler!

You've heard the phrase, "keeping it real". You've probably heard it so
much that it's lost all meaning. True, it's become a cliche, but just
take a second to actually contemplate what it actually did mean. What is
hip-hop's obsession (or one-time obsession) with "keeping it real"? You
don't need a degree on the subject to figure it out - the culture has
always been concerned with representing not only its key players, but
its audience. Much as with punk before it, the point is that this music
is (supposed to be) made by the kids for the kids. Right now, the
unit-shifting arm of the genre has got so far out of touch with the
culture that spawned it that it's started spinning off wildly into its
own orbit. This would be a good thing, of course, if it didn't - bar a
few cases (Missy and Timbaland, the Neptunes) - lead to dull, witless
cock-waving music.

Once upon a time, a conscious, political act like Public Enemy could
make a real dent in the hit parade. Conscious hip-hop was a bankable
commodity - take
De La Soul, Rakim, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, to name but a few.
In the current climate, there's no way this would be possible. We're
faced with a barren, soulless culture with no humanity. This isn't what
I'm looking for in my hip-hop.

Not only this, but the music itself (the songwriting, the production) is
becoming homogenised in the process - that is, nothing but the same old
slick, synth-heavy funk is getting within sniffing distance of the
charts. Anything else is filed in the drawers marked 'Underground' and
'Left-field' and promptly forgotten about by all but the more dedicated
lovers of the music. I'm not a Luddite - I love cold digital production
as much as the next tech-head. But I also expect a little diversity and
variety from music. What's more, I want to hear it on my radio. Do
hip-hop's big guns find this simple equation too difficult to grasp?
That: THE MORE I HEAR SOMETHING THE LESS INTERESTED I BECOME. I can't be
alone in thinking like this. I can't be the only person in the world who
wants a balanced, varied musical diet.

I want dust and grit to go with the shiny plastic stuff. I want warmth
and humanity, rather than dumb money brags and physical threats. I want
meatier lyrical concerns than the sexual prowess of a gangster. Fuck
that. I can't relate to stories about pimp-rolling and gang-banging, and
neither can most people who buy hip-hop records. Nor, I suspect, can
many of the rappers themselves. Wasn't Tupac a nice, middle-class
ballet-dancing boy? Before he got signed and swallowed up by his own
public image, making his thug-life fantasy flesh in the process and
finally getting shot? Haven't rappers traditionally turned to music to
escape this kind of shit? And here a kid, who apparently never had to
endure this kind of shit, was actively involving himself in it because
the record industry had decided that the gangster 'lifestyle' was a
glamourous, marketable brand identity that could help shift units by the
shedload.

I'm reminded, once more, of PE's 'Burn Hollywood Burn' - "All I hear
about/Is shots ringin' out/'Bout gangs puttin' each other's head out".
14 years on from that record and nothing's changed, only know it's the
music industry at fault.

Say what you like - this is record executives telling artists, "dance,
monkey boy! dance!", accepting them only on their terms: either as camp,
Cristal-sipping fools, or as outlaw fantasies for teenage boys. They're
rendering an entire, hitherto independent culture impotent and reigning
it in, bringing it under their control. The sad irony s that hip-hop's
become too big for its own sake - the more popular a commodity becomes,
the more money certain players will invest in producing and promoting a
safe, sanitised version, andthis is precisely the fate that's befallen
our beloved music.

But there's an upside to that: if we all only ignore it, it definitely
WILL go away. So you know what to do. Vote with your money. Spend it on
something more
satisfying and meaningful... like drugs or porn.
---------------------------------

Media Jam Special Feature

"TRIAL BY MEDIA - THE KOBE BRYANT SAGA"

compiled and edited by Dave Blue

Oh and one note for you. This is a 40 page document. Don't burn your
retinas trying to read it all off of a screen. Media Jam is designed to
be downloadable, printable, and portable. Do yourself a favor - print it
out. And do me a favor - when you're done, pass it along to someone else
who might be interested.

==========================================

When we set out planning for the second issue of this magazine, we
thought we had a pretty full plate of good stuff to bring your way, a
couple of important interviews, a review or two, a local DJ scene
article - definitely enough to fill an issue.

And then the Kobe story broke - I admit it up front, I'm a basketball
fan and Kobe is my favorite player. Still, I didn't see anything that
would be on-topic for us here that needed talking about.

(A bit of background for non-sports fans or international readers. Kobe
Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the greatest player in the game
today. His combination of youth, talent, and performance have set him
apart from much of the NBA, and what's more, despite it all he's
maintained the image of a squeaky-clean "good guy". Recently on a trip
to Vail for surgery, he hooked up with a 19-year-old woman named Katelyn
Faber who, the day after, turned around and charged him with sexual
assault. Many fans believe that Kobe is innocent of all but adultery and
is being scammed in one of the most traditional manners for star
athletes. Other people take the opinion that Katelyn is correct until
proven otherwise and Kobe has already been saddled with the "rapist"
label. The following compilation examines different points of view and
how the media has shaped our thinking on this issue.)

However, the more info that came out, the more I began to see not one,
but two topics specifically related to our topic of media and began to
gather articles and commentary on them. Most articles and comments I've
gotten from the Usenet group alt.sports.basketball.nba.la-lakers. I've
done all I can to preserve the original links and credits, but some
comments have been made anonymously and you have my apologies in advance
if I've failed to credit a source. If you're one of those sources then
write in and we'll print a correction next issue. Also some of the
articles especially might seem a little choppy as I've lifted out the
important paragraphs while trying to avoid copy-and-pasting entire three
or four page story. Already I know this is going to be a pretty big
installment and no need to make it bigger than necessary.

This is not and was not intended to be a re-cap of the Kobe story. This
is Media Jam, not Sports Illustrated. We're focusing on a couple of
issues brought out by this case that relate to media and our response to
it. The two issues we're looking at specifically are

1) Freedom of Information - the big boys refused to disclose any
information, so the wonderful world of hackers and googlers simply went
around them and brought the facts to life. The point of this sub-topic
is the degradation of the concept of privacy. Non-disclosure policies
won't help you. If a nation of millions with net access wants the facts,
they'll get 'em.

2) Trial By Media - Perhaps best illustrated by the OJ Simpson case,
we've watched the way celebrity trials happen and how the end court
decision is almost irrelevant. The real trial takes place in the minds
of everybody who sucks up everything the media puts out and make up
their own minds.

With that said, let's launch into the meat of the feature. I'll
interject comments in the form of (Ed: here's a comment). Needless to
say the ed is for editor, not Edward.


http://shorterlink.com/?IT8K32

Longtime readers of this column know that rapists, child molesters and
sexual malefactors of every twisted stripe get no sympathy here. And
with all due respect to the concept of innocent unless proven guilty,
let's face it, if cops and prosecutors have enough evidence to arrest
and charge a guy for sexual assault, nine times out of 10, and maybe
more, he turns out to be guilty as sin.

Still, while it may not be politically correct to say it, there are
times when alleged sexual assault victims lie. And in those cases, the
opprobrium and scorn of society fall a lot harder on the innocent
accused than on the guilty accuser.

What brings this up is the Kobe Bryant case. As all the world knows, the
Lakers star and Orange County resident was arrested on suspicion of
sexual assault in Colorado after a 19-year-old female hotel worker made
an accusation against him. The woman's name is -

Well, that's the point. I can't tell you what the woman's name is.

Because the Register, like most mainstream newspapers, has a
longstanding policy against printing the names of sexual assault
victims, or even purported sexual assault victims.

Sure, as long as I toss in an occasional "allegedly" or "according to
police," I can cheerfully bandy Kobe's name in the public prints as an
accused sexual offender. But I can't print hers. And somehow, you have
to wonder if that's really fair.

Of course, there are a lot of good reasons not to publicize the names of
sexual assault victims. You don't want to humiliate someone who's
already been victimized. And you certainly don't want to make anyone
reluctant to report a sexual assault for fear of having her name
splashed all over the papers. So I'm not suggesting that the unwritten
rule about keeping sexual assault victims' names confidential should be
abandoned. But in some cases maybe the rule should be voluntarily
expanded a little bit.

At least until a few more facts are available - say, until after an
indictment or a preliminary hearing, or some damning evidence has been
made public - maybe the sexual assault confidentiality courtesy should
be extended to the accused as well as to the accuser.

And maybe this case would have been a good place to start. I know, it's
probably foolish to think that someone like Kobe Bryant could ever keep
his name out of the papers on something like this. His star status and
nice guy image ensure that he'll make the news if he so much as gets a
jaywalking ticket. And who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be guilty -
in which case he'd deserve some extra punishment, in addition to the
usual criminal penalties, for falsely making everybody think he was a
good guy.

But if he turns out to be innocent, as he says he is, if it turns out
there's nothing to the allegations, the double standard at work in
reporting sexual assault cases means that he'd still come out the loser.
Because his name would always be publicly attached to the false
accusations. And the false accuser's name never would be.

--

(Ed: That's the situation, as it first came out. But thankfully, we live
in an age where we don't have to bow down to the networks and their
policies. Check out the following:)

--

The issue of naming sexual assault victims came up during the trial of
Dr. William Kennedy Smith (nephew of the aquatic senator), accused of
raping a woman on the lawn of the Kennedy compound in Palm Beach during
Easter Weekend, 1991. NBC News let loose with her name, and the New
York Times quickly followed suit, arguing NBC had already made it
public. Other media went 'tut 'tut, as these insufferable liberals are
prone to do. The NBC affiliate in the Peoples Republic of Boston
bleeped the name out of the network feed. In the face of the backlash,
the Times stopped using the name. Here is what the president of NBC
News wrote by way of explanation. It makes lots of sense to me, as does
Mr. Dillow's column posted above.

[http://www.cjr.org/year/91/4/victim.asp]

First, we are in the business of disseminating news, not suppressing
it.

Names and facts are news. They add credibility, they round out the
story, they give the viewer or reader information he or she needs to
understand issues, to make up his or her own mind about what's going on.
So my prejudice is always toward telling the viewer all the germane
facts that we know.

Second, producers and editors and news directors should make editorial
decisions; editorial decisions should not be made in courtrooms, or
legislatures, or briefing rooms -- or by persons involved in the news.
That is why I oppose military censorship, legislative mandate, and the
general belief that we should only print the names of rape victims who
volunteer their names. In no other category of news do we give the
newsmaker the option of being named. Those are decisions that should be
made in newsrooms -- one way or another.

Third, by not naming rape victims we are part of a conspiracy of
silence, and that silence is bad for viewers and readers. In reinforces
the idea that somehow there is something shameful about being raped.

Rape is a crime of violence, a horrible crime of violence. Rapists are
horrible people; rape victims are not. One role of the press is to
inform, and one way of informing is to destroy incorrect impressions and
stereotypes.

Fourth, and finally, there is an issue of fairness. I heard no debate in
our newsroom and heard of no debate in other newsrooms on whether we
should name the suspect, William Smith. He has not been charged with
anything. Yet we dragged his name and his reputation into this without
thought, without regard to what might happen to him should he not be
guilty -- indeed, should he not even be charged. Rapists are vile human
beings; but a suspect isn't necessarily a rapist. Were we fair?
Probably, yes, because he was thrust into the news, rightly or wrongly.
But so was Patricia Bowman, and we should treat her the same way
journalistically. We are reporters; we don't take sides, we don't pass
judgment.

By the way, Dr. Smith was acquitted.

At the time all this was going on, Florida had a law against reporting
the names of alleged sexual assault victims. However, there was a case
wending its way to the Supreme Court, in which a woman had been awarded
$100K from a newspaper that had accidentally printed her name. It had
appeared in a routine, public police report collected by a cub reporter.
However, the Supreme Court invalidated the law on First Amendment
grounds (look up Florida Star vs. B.J.F.). Good for the Court!

--

(Ed: so what it seems to be saying to me is, if you're a public figure,
it's okay to have your name dragged through the dirt, but if you're an
anonymous accuser, the system and the networks will attempt to block the
release of any information. Again, thankfully, we live in a time when we
can give the finger to that kind of attempt to control information. Now
am I being mean, screaming for the exposure of accusers' details? In
some cases, like this, most certainly. Check out this posat that
appeared on the newsgroup.)

--

Murder victims typically get no privacy. Their names are reported
without any problem by news outlets. Rape victim info is withheld by
news outlets for good reason because of the horrible nature of the
crime, and the victim's quest to carry on a normal life. MSNBC reports
that Katelyn Faber discussed before 5 players at a party drinking card
game, what Kobe Bryant's penis looks like. All 5 people at the table
have confirmed the story. Katelyn Faber should expect no privacy from
this point forward. Kobe is accused of a crime that may put him in jail
forever. It may also cost him a $10 million civil judgement directed
Katelyn Faber, her mother, and her attorney. Why do they need so much
money? Get a clue. Look at what's important..
--

(Ed: Okay, no judgement on her for being a drinker or a party girl,
that's nothing. But tell me, innocent little Katelyn, if you're such the
victim, then what the hell were you doing discussing the size and shape
of Kobe's anatomy? Is that what rape victims do? At any rate, here's the
next newsgroup comment in the saga)

--

A young woman has made a hideous accusation against Kobe Bryant. Her
friends are revelling in their own little "15 minutes of fame" just by
their associations with the alleged victim. "Wow, Starlene..!! You was
on the television..!!" The media pat themselves on the back for not
revealing her name, but give out enough information so that any 6 year
old with internet access (or just a good phone book) can figure it out.
--

(Ed: Here the writer makes a good point. Why have a non-disclosure
policy when you've lost (because, mainly, of the internet) the power to
enforce it. Read on and find out what all has been discovered by secret
sleuths determined to break through and get the story on the accuser.)

--

Some 'tards on this group evidently have this weird idea that posting
publicly available information such as...

Katelyn Kristine Faber
0817 Brush Creek Court
Eagle, CO 81631
(970) 328-6652
fabe5088 RemoveThis @blue.unco.edu

...is somehow "illegal".

First of all, all of this information was publicly available long before
the "alleged" rape took place. No constitutional law can force people to
"unremember" certain facts about others, or punish people for revealing
or publishing those facts. Don't give me this bullshit that Slut Whore
Katelyn Faber has a special expectation of "privacy", and that nobody is
permitted to mention her name, address, or any other information that's
freely available to anyone who wants it. She went to the police and made
a public accusation against a public figure. As such, it is a matter of
public record. Kudos and/or letters of commendation to Lucas White
("mosszonedotcom"), for bringing to light facts the news media didn't
have the balls to.
--

(Ed. As facts began to come to light, ESPN had an excellent article on
the subject which I'll share with you now. It's a little long, but worth
the read.)

--

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/hruby/030723.html

Information overload
By Patrick Hruby

It's out there.

All of it. Her name. Her number. Where she lives. Where she went to high
school. The color of her eyes. Even the floor plan to her parents'
house. Anything and everything to satisfy your interest. Your curiosity.
Your rubbernecker's impulse. Your desire to know. That's what makes it
a story, really, makes anything a story.

Someone to tell ... and someone else to listen. You won't find much
about Kobe Bryant's accuser/alleged victim in the mainstream press. Her
age, her hometown, where she works. Vague testimonials from those who
know her -- and those who claim to. The spin emanating from each legal
camp. And that's about it. Kobe and his wife are used to media
attention -- but now info about his accuser/alleged victim is flooding
the Internet.

For the rest, you need to turn elsewhere. Both outward and inward. To
yourselves. Via the Internet. In chat rooms. On message boards. There,
you'll find the juice. Things you aren't supposed to know. And maybe
shouldn't know. Facts that may or may not be true. Information that is
wholly unfiltered, not to mention unvarnished.

Online, the medium is the instant messager. There's no need for the
media middleman. Let alone the editorial and legal judgment, the checks
and balances, that are supposed to govern news outlets such as ESPN and
the New York Times. Jayson Blair exempted.

Log on, and you're standing in a crowded bar, shouting across the
counter. Or sitting in a corner booth, exchanging conspiratorial
whispers. Information flows like suds from a tap, like spilled beer
running along a gutter. So what do you drink? Who do you trust? How
much is too much? And who decides? In the Bryant case and in general,
those are the questions facing the press and the public. For the media,
the Internet has changed the entire reporting dynamic -- of where
stories come from, of where they end up, of what constitutes news in the
first place.

In the past, sports reporters and their subjects mostly operated under a
gentleman's agreement -- at least, when it came to personal matters.
Private indiscretions were just that -- private. Think JFK's numerous
dalliances. Even today, it wouldn't be unusual for an NBA beat writer to
join a few players at a strip club ... without penning an embarrassing
two-part expose. But if said players were married, well-paid pillars of
the community, playing in a publicly funded stadium, and things got
out-of-hand raunchy? With rumors flooding a team chat room? And
incriminating photos appearing on a message board? Then what?

Mike Price knows the answer. Larry Eustachy, too.

In the rapid-fire, hyper-competitive 24-hour news world, there's no
sitting on information, no matter how distasteful. Not if the other guy
has it. And especially not if he's running with it. Which brings us to
another gentlemen's agreement -- the one governing media coverage of
Kobe's alleged victim. If a network, web site or major paper breaks
ranks and publishes the goods -- unlikely, given the nature of the case,
but certainly possible -- others will surely follow suit. Maybe not
everyone. But enough outlets to make the point moot. Ethics-wise,
would that be the right thing to do? Probably not. But don't kid
yourself, not for a second. The mainstream media has already saturated
Eagle, Colorado, combing the town for prurient details. And when you're
almost to the top of the bleachers, what's one more step?

For similar reasons, reporters can't afford to ignore the cyberspace
grapevine. Not unless they want to get scooped. Even if 99 percent of
the information out there is either unsubstantiated rumor or libelous
innuendo -- take your pick -- the other one percent makes all the
difference.

When the University of Arkansas dismissed basketball coach Nolan
Richardson, the story broke on a fan web site. Just like the Price and
Eustachy cases. And a scandal involving former Alabama football coach
Mike DuBose and his secretary. Which goes a long way toward explaining
why football spokespeople at Florida State have to spend a chunk of each
fall dispelling online rumors of Bobby Bowden's impending retirement,
year after year after year. Internet gossip about Alabama coach Mike
Price soon led to his dismissal.

"Online, you've got somebody who is literally nameless and faceless, who
can say whatever they want," says Rob Wilson, Florida State's assistant
athletic director for media and public relations. "And the newspaper
people have to check on it. So they usually call me. I have to take a
lot of ridiculous questions that they're frustrated to ask and I'm
frustrated to answer."

Unlike the press, the Internet public is under no obligation to check
the facts. Get confirmation from at least two sources. Answer to
editorial oversight. Uphold a reputation for accuracy. Or follow any
sort of ethical principles governing what should and should not be news.
The Net provides near-absolute freedom of speech, a soapbox for anyone
with a phone line and a sliver of bandwidth. The news is what you make
it. Which is liberating in principle ... and perilous in practice.

Chat rooms and message boards can be a coarse place, rife with base
vulgarity. Browsing the FreeKobe.com boards yesterday, you would have
come across one of the foulest screeds imaginable, a racist,
self-proclaimed "guide" to the N-word. The poster, of course, was
anonymous, protected in the same cowardly way that American League
pitchers are protected from retaliatory beanballs.

Take what you read with a grain of salt. Most people instinctively know
this. But on the Internet, it's more like a pillar. When former Illinois
basketball coach Bill Self left for the University of Kansas earlier
this year, the moderator of an Illini fan board created odds for a list
of potential replacements. As a joke, he included former New York Knicks
coach Jeff Van Gundy as a 1,000-to-1 shot. A day later, a caller on a
local sports talk radio show claimed that Van Gundy was spotted outside
Assembly Hall, the school's basketball arena.

Travis Taylor, a nondescript high school football player from upstate
New York, recently became a national Top 100 recruit after a series of
laudatory -- and false -- message board posts on a handful of respected
recruiting web sites. Taylor took a free campus visit to Michigan State
and was courted by Florida and Ohio State before the scam was uncovered.
Such is the power of suggestion.

With fact and fiction co-mingling in the online ether, overlapping like
waves, who's to say if the information on Kobe's alleged victim is even
true, let alone appropriate? And how much does that really matter, given
that the genie is well outside the bottle?

Here's what we know: It's out there, jumping from screen to screen. And
all of us want more -- more facts, more gossip, more tidbits to chew on.
Something to fill the 24-hour news cycle. Something to share at the
water cooler. Something to satisfy our innate desire for stories.

The question is: Do any of us know what to do when we get it?

--

(Ed. That's the theme of this first part of our feature, excellently
expressed in this article. The old rules are broken. You can't shut the
internet up. People working in network fashion will beat a handful of
stuffed shirts with gag orders any time.)

Time to move on now from the liberating power of the internet to provide
information and take a more in-depth look at the second and deeper part
of our feature - the notion of "trial by media": or trial by public
opinion. We'll start with a brief comment from the newsgroup that seemed
to capture the essence yet display some irony.

--

Kobe Bryant was wrong for cheating on his wife with that 19-year-old
white girl. I hope the sex was consent as he claim's it to be, and not
sexual assault as the 19 year old charges. His image publically will
forever be tarnished if he sexually assaulted the girl or not because he
still comitted adultry. The outcome of the court trail now if Kobe
Bryant is found innocent of sexual assault, part of his image may be
vindicated, but if found guilty by Eagle Colorado courts he could face
5-20 year jail sentence, or 20-life probation sentence, oouch!! just for
getting some pussy. The question is rather who will the jury believe...
Kobe Bryant or the 19-year-old Eagle Colorado girl. The 19-year-old
girl identity has been greatly kept sealed from the public, and the only
information that's been able to be known about her has come from her
friends, who say that she is a good girl who would never make a storie
like this, to ride of the fame of a celebrity. We also know she was a
cheerleader back in high school, and an excelent student. She also had
tried out for American Idol, but never made it. Also note that Eagle
Colorado investigators still havent released the evidence that have on
Kobe Bryant that ties him to the sexual assault claims ( if they found
Kobe's DNA in her, that could only tell us that did have sex.). Kobe
admit's now that he did have sex with her, but it wasn't sexual assault.
After all this, i'll think I'll let the court deside on who's innocent
or guilty before I take judgement.

--

(Ed: Now can we all wake up and smell the hypocrisy? After stoking the
fires of the ongoing trial of public opinion, he tells us "After all
this, I think I'll let the court decide....before I take judgement.
Excuse my French, but bullshit. Next time OJ is rollin' down the 5 in
his white Bronco or whatever incarnation of this pattern is, this guy
will be out there, glued to his set, and already deciding guilt or
innocence.)

It occurs to me that while some of us (basketball fans and celebrity
chasers) have been following the details of this pretty well, a lot of
you may be unfamiliar with what is supposed to have happened. So let me
now provide you with a police timeline that describes only the facts and
timetable.

--

By Lance Pugmire and Steve Henson
Times Staff Writers

July 18, 2003

EAGLE, Colo. - These are the key events involving the arrest of Laker
star Kobe Bryant on allegations he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old
Eagle woman, pieced together by Times reporters who examined hotel
records and conducted interviews with sheriff's and crime lab
investigators, law enforcement officials, hotel executives and
employees, witnesses and other sources. The times, listed in Mountain
time, in some cases are approximations.

June 30. Afternoon - Without informing the Lakers, Bryant takes a
private flight to Eagle, where he has made arrangements to undergo an
arthroscopic surgical procedure on his right knee at the Steadman
Hawkins Clinic in nearby Vail. The team had been expecting to meet with
Bryant to discuss the problems he was having with tendinitis in the
knee.

.. 10 p.m. - Bryant and three male associates check in at the 56-room
Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, a small town about halfway between
Eagle and Vail. Bryant uses the alias, "Javier Rodriguez" and is
assigned a first-floor room at the end of a long hall. The room next
door is vacant. The room for his associates, at least two of whom are
bodyguards, is registered to Michael Ortiz and it is located on the
third floor.

10:15 p.m. - Bryant mills around the lobby, largely ignored by hotel
employees who have been trained to respect the privacy of celebrity
guests..

11 p.m. - A 19-year-old woman who works for the hotel as a concierge
and receptionist goes off duty.

11:13 p.m. - A phone call lasting a few minutes is placed from
Bryant's room to what is believed to be his Newport Beach home, where
his wife, Vanessa, and young daughter are staying.

.. Before midnight: Bryant's accuser goes to his room and stays for an
undetermined length of time, according to several hotel employees.
Sources differ on the precise time she went to the room.

July 1

12:36 a.m. - A pay-per-view movie is ordered in Bryant's room.

Morning - Bryant undergoes arthroscopy at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic,
which will not divulge the time of the procedure.

Noon - Accompanied by her parents, Bryant's accuser reports the
alleged sexual assault to the Eagle County Sheriff's Department and is t
aken to Vail Valley Medical Center to undergo tests.

2-5 p.m. - Bryant returns from knee surgery and limps through the
lobby toward his room. Later, he and his associates lounge in the lobby,
playing chess, chatting and tipping well for their food and drink
orders.

8:50 p.m. - A room service order of $39.01 is placed from Bryant's
room.

11:10 p.m. - Although room service normally ends at 10:30 p.m., an
order of $20.66 is placed from Bryant's room.

11:30 p.m. - Eagle County Sheriff's investigators arrive at the Lodge
& Spa to interview Bryant and collect evidence from his room.
Investigators tell hotel security personnel they are not needed.

July 2

.. 2:30 a.m. - Bryant is taken in a sheriff's patrol car from the Lodge
& Spa to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, 52 miles away. His
three associates follow in a taxi van, appearing "nervous and anxious,"
according to driver Terry O'Brien. One tells O'Brien he had to pick up
"a friend" having "the worst day of his life." Meanwhile, sheriff's
investigators retrieve a hotel computer printout of Bryant's room
purchases and phone records and tell employees not to speak publicly
about the incident.

3 a.m. - Bryant provides samples of DNA at Valley View Hospital. In an
effort to protect his privacy, he is tested at the Glenwood Springs
facility rather than the much closer medical center in Vail.

3:30 a.m. - Bryant leaves the hospital and departs in a taxi with his
associates. He covers his head with a towel and O'Brien is asked to keep
the interior lights off so Bryant cannot be identified.

4:15 a.m. - Bryant and his associates check into the Hotel Colorado in
Glenwood Springs.

5 a.m. - One of Bryant's associates returns to the Lodge & Spa to
recover Bryant's luggage and belongings. He returns to the Hotel
Colorado at 5:45 a.m.

9:11 a.m. - Bryant is billed $50 by the Lodge & Spa for a manicure
appointment he fails to keep because he checked out of the hotel earlier
than expected.

7:15 p.m. - Bryant and associates leave the Hotel Colorado and take a
flight back to Southern California, having been told, his attorneys say,
that no arrest warrant will be issued or criminal charges filed until
July 7, after the three-day Independence Day weekend.

July 3.

5:30 p.m. - Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy obtains an arrest warrant
from district judge Russell Granger, sparking controversy because he did
not go through the usual step of having it signed off by the district
attorney, Mark D. Hurlbert.

July 4.

Morning - Bryant's Colorado-based attorney, Pamela Mackey, contacts
him by phone in California and says, "You need to come and turn yourself
in right now."

Bryant returns to Eagle County by private plane, accompanied by his
wife. He is fingerprinted, interviewed and booked on suspicion of felony
sexual assault and false imprisonment at the Eagle County Justice
Center. After posting $25,000 bond, he returns home to Newport Beach.

July 6

The Eagle County Sheriff's Department announces Bryant's arrest.
Mackey describes Bryant as distraught, but she says he expects to be
exonerated. Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak says the allegations are
"completely out of character of the Kobe Bryant we know."

July 7

Sheriff Hoy and Hurlbert hold a joint news conference. Says Hoy: "My
investigators felt confident they did have evidence to seek the [arrest]
paperwork." Says Hurlbert: "Generally, the procedure is [the sheriff]
comes to us but there is no law that says he can't go to the judge
first. It's possible [Bryant] will be charged with sexual assault. It's
possible he will be charged with something else. It's possible he won't
be charged with anything."

July 8.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation receives physical evidence -
typically in assault cases hair, blood or swabs or saliva, semen or
sweat - from Bryant and his accuser.

July 9.

1 p.m. - The accuser's father confirms that his daughter, a former
Eagle Valley High cheerleader and choir member, has made the allegations
against Bryant. Later in the day, police are called to the neighborhood
to disperse a crowd of reporters who have gathered at the family's home.

July 12.

Discussing the case for the only time publicly, Bryant tells The
Times, "When everything comes clean, it will all be fine, you'll see.
But you guys know me, I shouldn't have to say anything. You know I would
never do something like that."

July 14.

The sheriff and district attorney's offices begin to receive evidence
back from CBI.

July 15.

4 p.m. - The accuser's father says, "You can't say the D.A. hasn't
taken enough time to thoroughly analyze all of this."

July 16

.. In their first public appearance since the arrest, Bryant and wife,
Vanessa, attend the ESPY Awards, a made-for-television sports awards
show, at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

July 17.

1:30 p.m. - A district judge hears arguments that records pertaining
to two non-criminal police visits to the accuser's home in the last year
be made public. Town manager William Powell acknowledges the visits
could have a bearing on the Bryant case. "There is some indirect
connection," he says. The judge postpones his decision until July 25.

July 18.

3 p.m. - Hurlbert calls a news conference at which he announces that
he has filed a charge against Bryant of felony sexual assault. The
charge carries possible penalties of four years to life in prison, or
probation for 20 years to life.

6 p.m. PDT - Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, appear at a news conference
with Bryant's lawyer, Pamela Mackey. Bryant declares: "I'm innocent."

--

(Ed: Just to illustrate the magnitude of information about Kobe being
torn free and rammed down our throats, check out the following.)

--
http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&edition=usa&q=cluster:asia%2ere
uters%2ecom%2fnewsArticle%2ejhtml%3ftype%3dsportsNews%26storyID%3d311887
6

Results 1 - 30 of about 1,870

For a look at Kobe, look at Kirby
Chicago Sun Times, IL - 5 hours ago
Todd Jones sat at his desk in Minneapolis on Friday evening, reading
minute-by-minute updates on the Web about Kobe Bryant. An hour ...

IS THIS LAKER A FAKER? ONLY A TRIAL WILL TELL
Chicago Sun Times, IL - 5 hours ago
You never know what's behind the mask. You think you do, but you're
really just a sucker for hype, spin, perception and contrived imagery.
....

Emphasis on infidelity misses the point
San Francisco Chronicle, CA - 4 hours ago
It had to be the worst move Kobe Bryant has ever made in public. In
front of a national TV audience, he turned to his young wife ...

Kobe Bryant: A fallen superstar
Chicago Sun Times, IL - 5 hours ago
After Michael Jordan retired, Kobe Bryant became the hope of the NBA. A
handsome, smart, squared-away kid. A brilliant basketball player. ...

Bryant's image sullied by sex assault charge
Hindustan Times, India - 6 hours ago
Kobe Bryant's claim that he is guilty of nothing more than an adulterous
tryst with a teenage girl may have helped kick start his legal defence,
but it also ...

Kobe not so 'squeaky clean'
Calgary Sun, Canada - 7 hours ago
By AP. It's been that way since he joined the Los Angeles Lakers seven
years ago, fresh out of a suburban Philadelphia high school. ...

Charges filed against Kobe Bryant
Taipei Times, Taiwan - 9 hours ago
Kobe Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in
a case bound to tarnish the career of one of the NBA's brightest young
superstars.

Residents of Colorado town support Bryant's accuser
San Jose Mercury News, CA - 9 hours ago
By HEATHER LOURIE and MARCIA C. SMITH. EAGLE, Colo. - At the bustling
Eagle Diner, where the customers at the counter have an unobstructed ...

MSNBC - 11 hours ago
Vanessa Bryant shouldn't stand by her man. By Bill Williamson. HOWEVER,
THE JURY is already in on one count. He has made a victim of 21-year-old
Vanessa Bryant. ...

NBA says Bryant can join Lakers for camp
San Jose Mercury News, CA - 11 hours ago
BY MAGGIE HABERMAN AND TRACY CONNOR. NEW YORK - (KRT) - LA Lakers star
Kobe Bryant can continue driving the lane while he prepares ...

Hope on hold for Lakers fans
Sporting News - 11 hours ago
The quote jumped out amid the usual assortment of advertisements for
upcoming eventsand pitches for premier seats on the giant Staples Center
message board ...

Bryant Case Puts Small Town in Spotlight
New York Times - 14 hours ago
EAGLE, Colo., July 19 The officer who obtained the original warrant for
Kobe Bryant's arrest may have taught the woman Bryant is accused of
sexually assaulting

Kobe's future could hinge on believability, image
ESPN - 14 hours ago
On one side is Kobe Bryant, among the world's most recognizable
athletes. Young, successful and classy, Bryant's reputation until ...

Bryant Charged With Sex Assault
Newsday - 15 hours ago
By Greg Logan. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, the heir apparent
to Michael Jordan as the National Basketball Association's ...

Bryant Case Challenges View of Heroes
Kansas City Star, MO - 18 hours ago
From the moment he joined the NBA, Kobe Bryant cultivated a sparkling
image, free of trouble or even a hint of scandal. Now a sexual ...

Colo. Town No Stranger to Spotlight
San Jose Mercury News, CA - 18 hours ago
EAGLE, Colo. - If Kobe Bryant goes on trial here, it won't be the first
time this rural town of 3,500 has been overrun by reporters. ...

Defensive Kobe uses wrong strategy
MSNBC - 20 hours ago
HE DIDN'T USE the words "rape" or "sexual assault" or any other
qualifier, leaving us to conclude that he meant he wouldn't have sex
with a woman ...

Becker: Bryant case turns on consent, evidence
CNN - 22 hours ago
(CNN) -- The district attorney in Eagle County, Colorado, charged Los
Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant with one count of sexual assault. ...

Bryant charged but proclaims his innocence
Miami Herald, FL - 23 hours ago
By MATTHEW P. BLANCHARD. EAGLE, Colo. - Basketball star Kobe Bryant on
Friday was charged with one count of felony sexual assault ...

Player faces sex charge
The Age, Australia - 23 hours ago
Los Angeles Laker basketball star Kobe Bryant has been charged with
sexual assault, after an alleged incident at a Colorado mountain resort
almost three weeks

Basketball star accused of rape
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 23 hours ago
By MICHAEL McKENNA in Los Angeles. THE man once touted as basketball's
next Michael Jordan was last night charged with sexual assault ...

With future at stake, Lakers star plays the reputation card
San Diego Union Tribune, CA - Jul 19, 2003
Infidelity is regrettable, even reproachable, but rape is repugnant. In
defending himself against a felony charge of sexual assault ...

PRIVATE WORLD PIERCED
San Jose Mercury News, CA - Jul 19, 2003
We do not know what Kobe Bryant has to hide or protect, or why he has
been anxious for so long to keep so many parts of his life from public
view. ...

Bryant's problems are just beginning
Boston Globe, MA - Jul 19, 2003
By Bob Ryan, Globe Columnist, 7/19/2003. Kobe Bryant has led a very
charmed life, but now he's going to find out what trouble is, and ...

Guilty only of adultery, Bryant says
Toronto Star, Canada - Jul 19, 2003
EAGLE, Colo.- Kobe Bryant was charged yesterday with sexually assaulting
a 19-year-old woman in a case bound to tarnish the career of one of the
NBA's ...

DA files charge against Bryant
Seattle Times, WA - Jul 19, 2003
By Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press. EAGLE, Colo. - Kobe
Bryant, one of the most talented and dynamic basketball players ...

Tearful Kobe Bryant says he's innocent of sexual assault charge
San Francisco Chronicle, CA - Jul 18, 2003
His voice quavering, his eyes wet with tears, Los Angeles Lakers
superstar Kobe Bryant clutched his wife's hand tightly and declared that
he did not sexually ...

Charge forever spoils squeaky-clean image
Arizona Republic, AZ - Jul 18, 2003
If Kobe Bryant is convicted of a third-degree felony for allegedly
sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Colorado woman, or his attorneys
negotiate a guilty plea ...

Bryant begs forgiveness from wife and fans
Hindustan Times, India - Jul 18, 2003
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant made a surprise public appearance
here Friday, where he begged his wife and fans for forgiveness and
denied sexually ...


NBA star denies sexual assault
BBC News, UK - Jul 18, 2003
US basketball star Kobe Bryant has rejected charges that his sexually
assaulting a 19-year-old woman. Bryant fought back tears as ...

--

(Ed: Kinda makes you wonder what the other 1840 results would have
turned up. But the point I'm driving at here is that no attempt was ever
made to keep Kobe's name or reputation out of the media - they jumped on
this one like bull-riders at a rodeo.)

Now we're going to take a slight detour, leave ol' Kobe alone for a
minute, and begin to lay out for you facts collected by an international
network of snoopers about innocent little Katelyn.

--

"The town buzzed with word of her personal difficulties." Can't wait to
see her take the stand.

July 11, 2003

Ugly stage begins

Don Rogers

The going really gets tough from here. Reporters have begun digging into
information that the young woman whom Kobe Bryant allegedly sexually
assaulted has endured a gantlet of personal crises, including this one.

The implications of how emotional blows have affected her before she
bumped into the star basketball player are inescapable, even if
irrelevant to physical evidence and other facts of this case. But
attorneys get paid to win, and will at almost any cost, even if it means
crucifying a teenager.

The tragedy here is that it does not appear that the district attorney
or sheriff had knowledge of this when the sheriff had Bryant arrested in
secret on the Fourth of July before the district attorney had a chance
to decide what, if any, charges to file against Bryant.

Questioned Thursday, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert appeared surprised.
Friday morning he spent quality time at the home of the young woman.
Later, naturally,
he had no comment other than he'd continue to weigh the evidence as it
comes in and decide perhaps next week on where to go from here.

Sheriff Joe Hoy offered another no comment when asked Friday. The bet
from this seat is that he was pretty surprised, as well.

This should not have been. The town buzzed with word of her personal
difficulties. There appear to be records of police contact that the
local department is adamant about not releasing.

The Daily and at least one other publication have asked the Eagle Police
Department for records of any calls to the young woman's home in the
past year as part of their inquiries. The records we seek are not of
criminal nature and were not included in a judge's order to seal the
Kobe Bryant case files. They may or may not be germane to the case.

Still, it's surprising if investigators did not look carefully at past
events in the young woman's life before exposing her to obvious
inquiries by reporters from all over the country - and later, if charges
are filed, by the accused's defense teams.

It's one thing to surprise the district attorney with a premature
arrest, but unconscionable to proceed when the result will be to leave
the woman and her family vulnerable to relatively simple reporting.
Maybe the sheriff and district attorney had no idea, but enough
townsfolk knew enough to set at least some of the press on this path.
The national reporters are good at what they do, and they have covered
tough stories in small towns before. The rule of thumb for authorities
should be that if there's anything in a person's past that may come to
light, they ought to count on it coming out and factor it into their
decisions.

The sheriff does not appear to have considered this when he made his
remarkable decision that brought the circus to town.

--

(Ed: "The ugly stage has begun" - sums it up pretty neat, I'd say. Read
on for more details from the ugly stage.)

--

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1527303,00.html

The next morning she told her mother and a friend about what happened,
Bray said.

"It was her mother that knew right away what happened," Bray said. It
was her mother, Bray said, who told the woman, "You were raped."

--

(Ed: Now hold on a minute here. This girl needed her damned MOM to tell
her it was rape? Granted, I'm sensitive to the different forms of rape
and the confusion they engender in the victims, but something is
starting to smell fishy to me.)

--

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/GMA030714Kobe_Sidebar.html

"She's kind of in hiding right now," said Starlene Bray on ABCNEWS' Good
Morning America. "She's been back and forth from Denver, kind of trying
to avoid the media and the press right now," she said.

"She did seek some medical help," Bray says. "She knew she needed it, so
she went and got it. She was definitely emotionally fragile, but I don't
think it had anything to do with what happened," she said.

Bray described the young woman as "a good friend, trustworthy,
thoughtful, warm-hearted."

"Well, when I first talked to her, she seemed really distraught in the
fact that it had happened to her," Bray said. "She didn't know what was
going to happen to her. She was just scared," she said.

--

(Ed: As one newsgroup poster put it, ""I'm so scared"...... hey, I got
an idea!!!!! Let's go on vacation!!!!!!! Yah, that's the ticket!!!!!!
go out of your home environment after being sexually assaulted!!!!!!!
That'll really prove I'm "scared".........")

--

More info on Ms. Faber's shaky mental status.

July 11, 2003

Friends: Emotional upheavals strengthen woman

Randy Wyrick

A series of emotional upheavals led to a doctor's care this spring for
the woman accusing Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant of sexual
assault.

According to friends and authorities, the death of her best friend,
coupled with a relationship that ended, led the woman to seek medical
help to deal with her situation.

"She knew she needed help and she got it. Anyone who tries to make it
into something more than that is a liar," said one friend, responding to
rumors of suicide attempts.

--

(Ed: Is something beginning to take shape here? The concept that this
was not some sweet, innocent, mentally stable young woman, but rather
someone who had a history of problems? Read on...)

--

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/sports/6343029.htm

Bryant accuser earlier overdosed amid anguish, friends say

By HEATHER LOURIE and MARCIA C. SMITH
The Orange County Register


EAGLE, Colo. - Everyone here knew her as the popular Eagle Valley Senior
High School cheerleader springing with vibrant spirit and sweet smiles,
as the beautiful singer always ready to perform in school musicals with
the clearest voice and the strongest heart.

But her close friends have been doggedly protecting a secret in the
unnerving days since the 19-year-old woman accused Los Angeles Lakers
All-Star Kobe Bryant of forcing her to have sex with him - a secret that
Bryant's attorneys could use to undermine her credibility, legal experts
say.

Two months before the woman went to the Eagle County Sheriff's
Department on July 1 alleging that Bryant had sexually assaulted her,
the woman suffered under such mental anguish that she overdosed on pills
and was rushed to a hospital, her friends told The Orange County
Register.

"I think it was just a cry for help," said Lindsey McKinney, 18, who
lived at the woman's house in May, when the woman took the pills.

The Register is not naming the woman because of the sensitive nature of
the case.

McKinney was visiting other friends when, at about 2 a.m. one day, she
learned from the woman's ex-boyfriend that the woman had "overdosed."

McKinney rushed to the woman's Eagle home and found the woman
incoherent, lethargic and seemingly drunk.

"I was scared. She wasn't really talking at all," McKinney said. "I was
like, '... you need to open your eyes.'"

Moments later, the woman's parents awoke and called 911. An ambulance
responded and took the woman to a hospital, McKinney said.

Some friends said they thought the overdose was an accident. Not
McKinney.

"I don't think it was accidental. I was there," McKinney said.

The police dispatch call that night is currently sealed from the public
by investigators. The Register's request for the records is the subject
of legal action.

Legal experts say an overdose and the woman's apparent mental
instability could undermine her credibility in what is bound to be a
trial of character, pitting a young, small-town woman against a popular
big-city basketball hero who makes more than $11 million a year selling
his wholesome image.

"This is powerful evidence and the answer to the defense's prayers,"
said Robert Pugsley, a criminal law professor at Southwestern University
School of Law in Los Angeles.

The defense attorneys are "looking for a way to demonstrate that this
woman is hysterical and over-reactive," Pugsley said. "This is literally
dynamite evidence, a bonanza for the defense and a landmine for
prosecution."

Pugsley said this kind of evidence, if exploited by the defense, could
be enough to stop the case before it reaches trial.

"They (Bryant's defense attorneys) could say that her interpretation of
the events is at total odds with what really occurred, which was an act
of mutual intercourse."

Another legal expert said this information could cause the prosecutor to
worry.

"Emotional instability is always of great concern when you are
evaluating a witness's credibility," said Paul Meyer, a former Orange
County homicide prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, who charged Bryant with one count of a
Class 3 felony sexual assault Friday, was unavailable for comment
Saturday night.

The woman's father declined to comment Saturday.

According to the complaint, Bryant, 24, of Newport Coast, Calif., forced
himself to have sex with the woman against her will June 30 at the Lodge
and Spa at Cordillera, where the woman worked at the front desk and
where Bryant had been a guest from June 30 to July 2.

On Friday, Bryant publicly admitted that he committed adultery with the
woman, but said he is innocent of assault. His attorneys could not be
reached for comment Saturday.

The woman's friends said her difficult year doesn't mean she lied about
the alleged sexual assault.

"I know she had been going through a lot, but I know that she wouldn't
lie," said Ashley Scriver, 19, of Eagle, who also acknowledges the
overdose.

Friends of the woman say she was distraught to have returned home from
her freshman year at the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley to
discover that her ex-boyfriend - her high-school sweetheart - had begun
dating another woman.

"There just seems like there is a lot of things going wrong in her
life," said Tyson Ivie, 18, a classmate, who called the overdose "a big
secret" that friends have been unwilling to talk about until now.

"The police station is holding back information about her," he said.

Around the same time of her overdose, the woman mourned the loss of a
close friend, Nicole Clements, 18, who had rolled her Chevy truck over
in Burns, Colo., while returning from Red Canyon High School graduation
June 1.

"She was going through a lot, but she was strong," said Nicole
McDonough, an Eagle Valley Senior High schoolmate and neighbor of the
woman.

"It was kind of boom, boom, boom," McKinney said, feeling compassion for
her friend.

"I think the things that happened to her in the past had a lot to do
with what (she said) happened that night."

That night, that is, that changed the lives of a young woman and a
basketball superstar forever.

--

(Ed: cracks seem to be appearing in Katelyn's "sweet innocent" facade.)

--

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E24761%257E1523843,00.htm
l

Another friend of the accuser, identified as Lindsey McKinney, said she
believes the overdose was intentional, the Orange County Register
reported Sunday. But S...(message truncated)